Personal tutorials
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Select a UK institution to view location-specific information throughout this website.
- Definition.
- Common activities.
- Personal Development Planning (PDP).
- Benefits for students in engaging with PDP.
- Guidance on writing references.
- Hints, tips and suggestions.
- Further information.
1. Definition
Terminology varies from one university to another but the vast majority of UK undergraduate students will be assigned a personal or a pastoral tutor who will keep this role until the student graduates. The role of a personal tutor is to:
- Provide personal support and general academic guidance to the student.
- Act as a gateway to a wide range of personal support services at the university.
- Be the first point of contact should any issues arise.
An important function of the personal tutor system is to provide the students with a first point of contact if they experience any personal or academic difficulties during their studies. To assist the development of the tutoring relationship, students are often required to meet each term or semester with their tutors and to give form and substance to these meetings, many universities ask personal tutors to carry out a range of administrative and personal development planning activities with their students.
2. Common activities
- Giving exam results and discussing progress.
- Advising on module choices.
- Supporting the student through ‘special exam arrangements' and ‘re-take' if the student is ill etc.
- Advising students with a disability about the support structures available to them.
- Administering the personal development planning arrangements (PDP) (see below).
- Referring students to the sources of expert advice and guidance provided centrally at the Institution.
- Writing job references.
The role of the personal tutor can be minimal for the majority of students who progress through their degree smoothly and without difficulty but it can be very involved and time-consuming for a handful of students who have serous personal problems or crises.
3. Personal Development Planning (PDP)
PDP is defined as being a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development. All UK institutions are required by the government to provide structured and supported opportunities for students to engage in PDP.
Practices vary but usually include asking students to keep a progress file (that can be paper-based or online) in which they keep a record of their learning, reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, review their skills and make developmental plans. Many schools/departments administer their PDP systems through the personal tutoring system and ask tutors to discuss PDP with their tutees.
4. Benefits for students in engaging with PDP
Students can:
- Have clearer ideas about the kind of life and work they want.
- Have greater confidence in the choices they make.
- Be more aware of and have greater confidence in the skills, qualities and attributes they have to offer.
- Be in a better position to apply and compete for jobs.
5. Guidance on writing references
You should take great care when writing references as under UK law a person has the right to sue for damages if they suffer a loss or detriment as a consequence of information given in a reference if that information is given in error, negligently or with malicious intent. It is also important to remember that the subject of the reference may well have sight of the reference you write and you should therefore only write things that you would be happy to say to the person face-to-face. Indeed it is recommended that a tutor can provide a copy, for the student, of any reference they write.
Many universities do provide detailed guidance for staff writing references and you should follow it closely if it is provided. However, in general any reference should be:
- Based on facts.
- Clearly state where the author is offering an opinion.
- Provide evidence for any opinions.
- Explicitly state the basis on which the reference is provided:
- Relationship with the subject.
- Length of that relationship.
- Circumstances under which you are writing the reference.
A reference should always be balanced, fair and justifiable.
6. Hints, tips and suggestions
When acting as a personal tutor it is important to keep a dated record of your meetings with your students: many schools/departments have procedures for record keeping that you should follow. This will help you to keep track of the students and their progress and identify problems early. It will also provide a record of what actions were taken when.
Make a point of finding out about the central services at your institution. Most universities have student counselling and welfare services, careers officers, student support, chaplaincies, disability offices, health centres etc. Many also have student unions which also have a wide range of facilities and resources. Knowing who can help your tutees with specific and specialised guidance can make your role much easier.
Familiarise yourself with the policy with regard to confidentiality. A common approach would be - when a student asks that information given to the personal tutor be treated as confidential, this will be respected in all but exceptional circumstances. All personal information held by departments will be handled in accordance with the university's data protection policy and procedures.
7. Further information
The University of Sheffield Teaching and Learning Support Unit.
Personal Development Planning (PDP) - The Higher Education Academy Portal.
Skills4study - Personal Development Planning
Living Life to the Full is a ‘life skills' course based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. You need to register and confirm an email link to see the full course.
Information about counselling and common problems (by the national network of student counselling services)
Students Against Depression is a great site with lots of real-life case studies, explaining what worked and what didn't.
Students in Mind is a University of London project to care holistically for emotional and pastoral concerns of students. The website is open to all and contains a moderated chat room.